Machine gun



May 29, 1923.

A. T. DAWSON ET AL MACHINE GUN 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. '7

A. T. DAWSON ET L V MACHINE GUN Filed Jan. '7. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 29, 1923..

UNE-TED s'rarss 1,45 ,525 PATENT OFFER.

ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON-AND GEORGE THOMAS BUCKHAM, OF WESTMINSTER, LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS TO VICKERS LIMITED, OF IVES'IJIMIIIZN'S'J.ER,

LONDON, ENGLAN D.

MACHINE GUN.

Application filed January 7, 1921. Serial No. 435,651.

(GRANTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THE ACT OF MARCH 3, 1921, 41 STAT. 1., 1313.)

vented certain new and useful Improve-- ments in or Relating to Machine Guns (for which they have made ap ilication in Great BritainSeptember4, 1919, at. No. 165,859), of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machine guns,

particularly those of the Vickers automatic 6 The present invention consists of a machine gun in which there are combined and used together the various devices and mechanism set forth in the s ecifications of our three British Patents os. 165,857, 165,858

2 and 141,605, the essential features comprising the device for retaining the firing spring and the side lever axis pin of the lock in their assembled position as described in the first of our said specifications, the stop-piece for the crank and the resilient bush between the crank-handle roller and the spindle or spigot of this roller as described in the second of our said specifications, and the sear and tumbler arrangement described in the third of our said specifications.

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect the same will be described more fully with reference, to-the accompanying draw-' 5 ings in which Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal s'ectlon through the mechanism casing of a Vickers automatic gun provided with the combina tion of features in accordance with this invention,

Figure 2 is a local side elevation showing the aforesaid crank-handle roller,

Figure 3 isa plan of. Figure 1 with the mechanism casing cover removed, Figures 4 4 and 5 are, respectively, a sectional side elevation and a rear elevation showing on a larger scale the lock and the parts carried thereby. V 1 a A is the mechanism casing, A" is the crank, A is the connecting rod pivoted at its rear end to the crank and at its forward endto the socket A of the side levers which are pivoted to the lock (the crank, the connecting rod and the side levers formin toggle levers as is well understood), A 18 the crank shaft, A is the crank handle, and A is the roller with which the tail A of this crank handle co-operates. B is the lock casing, B is the firing pin, B is the firin spring and B is the side lever axis pin.

is the tumbler for cocking the firing pin, C

said arms together at the rear and D" is an.

actuating member which is riveted or otherwiseconnected to the bridge-piece D in front thereof and has two limbs one vertical and depending and the other more or less horizontal and projecting forwards.

The latter limb has lateral extensions D, D

(Figure 5) at its forward end adapted to I engage in recesses in front of projections b, b on the lock casing. The rear end of the firing spring bears against the aforesaid vertical limb and by the co-operation of the lateral extensions D D with the said projections holds the arms D, D in engagement with the circumferential grooves'in the axis pin B The lower part of the said vertical limb has a dovetail D fitted into a correspondingly shaped recess in the lower part of the lock casing so as to prevent the device from moving out of position by a bodily vertical movement during the working of the gun. p

To enable the axis B3 and the firing spring B to be removed, the member D' is rocked against the opposition of the firing spring to disengage the arms D, Dvfrom the circumferential grooves in the axis pin and is then after the withdrawal of the axis pin rocked by the spring B in the reverse direction to dlsengage the dovetail D from its recess; the member I) can then be lifted'slightly to disengage the lateral extensions D, 2 from the projections 72, b and the device, is then moved rearwards thus leaving the firing mechanism casing of the gun; this limb is also formed with a hole d, through which projects the tail of the safety sear .F. The construction and arrangement of these parts is set forth fully in the specification of our aforesaid British Patent No. 165,857.

E is the aforesaid stop-piece and E is a part on the crank for comin against the said stop-piece at the end of t e movement of the'crank during recoil of the barrel, the said stop-piece E and the part E being disposed equally on each side of a vertical. plane containing the axis of the barrel. E is a barrel returning spring which is employed in addition to the usual fusee sprlng. The roller ,Af, with which the tail A of the crank handle A cooperates at the commencement of the recoil movement of the barrel as is well understood, has between it and its spindle or spigot A a bush (1 of fibre orother material suitable for absorbing part of the shock. This arrangement of the parts E, E, and a is set forth fully in the specification of our aforesaid British Patent No. 165858.

The tumbler C is adapted to co-operate with a projection B on the firing pin B for cooking the latter and to be moved out of the path of this projection (when the cocking operation has been completed) by a spring B which also operates upon the aforesaid actuating arm C of the sear C so as to urge the latter into engagement with its bent on the firing pin. This arrangement sembled position.

is substantially the same as that described in the specificatlon of our aforesaid British Patent No. 141605.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In a machine gun of the barrel recoiling' type, the combination with a part re'coiling with the barrel, a crank pivoted on said art, the lock, and a connecting rod connectmg said crank to said lock of a centrally ar-- ranged and rigid stop-piece which said crank stri es at the end of its movement during recoil of the barrel, and a device common to the side lever axis pin and the firing spring for retaining thesetwo parts in their as- 4 2. In a machine gun of the barrel recoiling type, the combination with a part recoiling with the barrel, a crank pivoted on said part, the lock, and a connecting rod connecting said crank to said lock of a centrally arranged and rigid stop-piece, a mass of metal on saidcrank, which mass strikes the stop-piece at the end of the movement meaeas of said crank during recoil of the barrel, and a device operated upon by said springto retain said axis pin in its assembled position.

3. In a machine gun of the barrel recoiling type, the combination with a part recoiling with the barrel, a crank pivoted on said part, the lock, and a connecting rod'connecting said crank tosaid lock of a centrally arranged and rigid stop-piece which said crank strikes at the end of its movement during recoil of the barrel, a device common to the side lever axis pin and the firing spring for retaining these two parts in their assembled position, a cocking tumbler bearing loosely against part of the firing pin for cocking, spring for moving the tumbler out of the path of said part after cocking and a sear engaging with said firing pin.

,4. In a machine gun of the barrel recoiling type, the combination with a part recoiling with the barrel, a crank pivoted on said part, the lock, and a connecting rod connecting said crank to said lock of a centrally arranged and rigid stop-piece, 'a mass of metal on said crank, which mass strikes the stop-piece at the end of the movement of said crank during recoil of the barrel, a device operated upon by said spring to retain said axis pinin its assembled position, a cocking tumbler bearing loosely against part of the firing pin for cockin a spring for moving the tumbler out of t e path of said part afte cocking and a sear engaging with said firing pin, said spring also serving normally to hold the sear in engagement with said firing pin.

5. In a machine gun of the barrel recoiling type, the combination with apart recoiling with the barrel, a crank pivoted on said part, the lock, and a connecting rod connecting said crank to said lock, a handle connected to said crank, a roller with which a tail on said handle co-operates at the commencement of the recoil movement of the barrel, a spindle on which said roller is mounted, a bush of resilient material interposed between said roller and said spindle, a centrally arranged and rigid stop-piece, a mass of metal on said crank, which mass strikes the stoppiece at the end of the movement of said crank during recoil of the barrel, a device operated upon by said spring to retain said axis pin in its assembled position, a cocking tumbler bearing loosely against part of the firing pin for cooking, a spring for moving the tumbler out of the path of said part after ARTHUR ranvoa DAWSON.

GEORGE THOMAS LBUCKHAM. 

